It’s high fashion and high stakes.
On 22 April, Turffontein Racecourse will welcome Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco to the races on a day fit for royalty at the Johannesburg track.
With the main event of the day, the R1-million Empress Club Stakes named in her honour, HSH Princess Charlene has chosen to also add her support to two other races on the programme with two lucrative maiden plates part of the day’s proceedings.
Proceeds from the entry fees paid by the connections looking to be involved in each of those 1400m events will be paid over the the Highveld Horse Care Unit.
They are one of three beneficiaries on the day with the Red Cross and Gugu Lesizwe School also supported by Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene of Monaco.
The final fields for the respective HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Maiden Plates will be determined by a ballot draw and announced next week.
As far as the fashion stakes are concerned there is enough time for racegoers to put some thought into their looks for the day with the ladies attending encouraged to wear a hat or fascinator while the gentlemen will be required to wear top hats and tails or a black suit with a hat.
There will be cash prizes on offer for the best dressed couples on the day which provides an incentive for racegoers to use their imaginations to come up with some inspired looks and perhaps adding a touch of red to tie in with the royal theme.
Funds will also be raised for the various charities through the Diamond Drop raffle which will see a helicopter swoop over Turffontein Racecourse and drop a marker onto a panel. Should your ticket coincide with the number marked, you could walk away with a diamond worth R150 000 sponsored by Petra Diamonds.
A number of hospitality packages, some of which include a Diamond Drop ticket, have been put together for the day while general access to the precinct on the day is R50 for adults and includes a R50 voucher and under-18s get in for R20.
